The present invention relates to lighting systems, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for computer-based control of various light sources and other devices that may be coupled together to form a networked lighting system.
Conventional lighting for various space-illumination applications (e.g., residential, office/workplace, retail, commercial, industrial, and outdoor environments) generally involves light sources coupled to a source of power via manually operated mechanical switches. Some examples of conventional lighting include fluorescent, incandescent, sodium and halogen light sources. Incandescent light sources (e.g., tungsten filament light bulbs) are perhaps most commonly found in residential environments, while fluorescent light sources (e.g., ballast-controlled gas discharge tubes) commonly are used for large lighting installations in office and workplace environments, due to the high efficiency (high intensity per unit power consumed) of such sources. Sodium light sources commonly are used in outdoor environments (e.g., street lighting), and are also recognized for their energy efficiency, whereas halogen light sources may be found in residential and retail environments as more efficient alternatives to incandescent light sources.
Unlike the foregoing lighting examples, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor-based light sources often employed in low-power instrumentation and appliance applications for indication purposes. LEDs conventionally are available in a variety of colors (e.g., red, green, yellow, blue, white), based on the types of materials used in their fabrication. This color variety of LEDs recently has been exploited to create novel LED-based light sources having sufficient light output for new space-illumination applications. For example, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,038, multiple differently colored LEDs may be combined in a lighting fixture, wherein the intensity of the LEDs of each different color is independently varied to produce a number of different hues. In one example of such an apparatus, red, green, and blue LEDs are used in combination to produce literally hundreds of different hues from a single lighting fixture. Additionally, the relative intensities of the red, green, and blue LEDs may be computer controlled, thereby providing a programmable multi-color light source. Such LED-based light sources have been employed in a variety of lighting applications in which variable color lighting effects are desired.
One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method, comprising acts of: A) transmitting data to an independently addressable controller coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device, the data including at least one of first control information for a first control signal output by the controller to the at least one LED light source and second control information for a second control signal output by the controller to the at least one other controllable device, and B) controlling at least one of the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device based on the data.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method, comprising acts of: A) receiving data for a plurality of independently addressable controllers, at least one independently addressable controller of the plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device, B) selecting at least a portion of the data corresponding to at least one of first control information for a first control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one LED light source and second control information for a second control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one other controllable device, and C) controlling at least one of the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device based on the selected portion of the data.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a lighting system, comprising a plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled together to form a network, at least one independently addressable controller of the plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device, and at least one processor coupled to the network and programmed to transmit data to the plurality of independently addressable controllers, the data corresponding to at least one of first control information for a first control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one LED light source and second control information for a second control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one other controllable device.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system including a plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled together to form a network, at least one independently addressable controller of the plurality of independently addressable controllers coupled to at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device. The apparatus comprises at least one processor having an output to couple the at least one processor to the network, the at least one processor programmed to transmit data to the plurality of independently addressable controllers, the data corresponding to at least one of first control information for a first control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one LED light source and second control information for a second control signal output by the at least one independently addressable controller to the at least one other controllable device.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system including at least one LED light source and at least one other controllable device. The apparatus comprises at least one controller having at least first and second output ports to couple the at least one controller to at least the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device, respectively, the at least one controller also having at least one data port to receive data including at least one of first control information for a first control signal output by the first output port to the at least one LED light source and second control information for a second control signal output by the second output port to the at least one other controllable device, the at least one controller constructed to control at least one of the at least one LED light source and the at least one other controllable device based on the data.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method in a lighting system including at least first and second independently addressable devices coupled to form a series connection, at least one device of the independently addressable devices including at least one light source. The method comprises an act of: A) transmitting data to at least the first and second independently addressable devices, the data including control information for at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices, the data being arranged based on a relative position in the series connection of at least the first and second independently addressable devices.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method in a lighting system including at least first and second independently addressable devices, at least one device of the independently addressable devices including at least one light source. The method comprises acts of: A) receiving at the first independently addressable device first data for at least the first and second independently addressable devices, B) removing at least a first data portion from the first data to form second data, the first data portion corresponding to first control information for the first independently addressable device. and C) transmitting from the first independently addressable device the second data.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a lighting system, comprising at least first and second independently addressable devices coupled to form a series connection, at least one device of the independently addressable devices including at least one light source, and at least one processor coupled to the first and second independently addressable devices, the at least one processor programmed to transmit data to at least the first and second independently addressable devices, the data including control information for at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices, the data arranged based on a relative position in the series connection of at least the first and second independently addressable devices.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system including at least first and second independently addressable devices coupled to form a series connection, at least one device of the independently addressable devices including at least one light source. The apparatus comprises at least one processor having an output to couple the at least one processor to the first and second independently addressable devices, the at least one processor programmed to transmit data to at least the first and second independently addressable devices, the data including control information for at least one of the first and second independently addressable devices, the data arranged based on a relative position in the series connection of at least the first and second independently addressable devices.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in a lighting system including at least first and second independently controllable devices, at least one device of the independently controllable devices including at least one light source. The apparatus comprises at least one controller having at least one output port to couple the at least one controller to at least the first independently controllable device and at least one data port to receive first data for at least the first and second independently controllable devices, the at least one controller constructed to remove at least a first data portion from the first data to form second data and to transmit the second data via the at least one data port, the first data portion corresponding to first control information for at least the first independently controllable device.